Engine House #1
1855 Engine house built at 102 (changed to 63
in 1912) Monroe Ave at Official (Commerce). The street
was vacated in 1948 for Herpolsheimer's now the Grand
Rapids Police Department.
1888 Sanborn
1953 Sanborn
The 1953 Sanborn shows #63 closer to Ionia Avenue than vacated Commerce.
1862 - proposal is made to move to a different location
This building was sold in 1868 for a combination City Hall/Engine House at Pearl
and Ottawa that would never be built.150
Was this where they put the alarm bell?
1868
Warranty Deed
James Mortimer Smith & Rosalie M. Smith, his wife
To the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Date of Instrument - August 1st, 1868
Recorded - September 18th, 1868 at 4:30 P. M. in Liber 58 of Deeds on Page 175
Consideration - Six Hundred and Fifty Dollars
Description
All that certain piece of parcel of land situated in Grand Rapids, Michigan
known and described as lot 4 in block 12, in Bostwick & Company’s Addition
CE
Quit Claim
Charles C. Rood and Cornelia Rood, his wife
to the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Recorded January 11th 1871 at 9:30 A. M. in Liber 65 of Deeds on Page 155
Consideration - Fifth (sic) Dollars
Description
All of the following described lot of land, to-wit; Lot 4 of Block 12 of
Bostwick & Company’s Addition fo the City of Grand Rapids, Kent county, Michigan,
according to the plat thereof. The title of said part of the fist part which is
hereby conveyed being a tax title for the year 1868.CE
These describe a different location than today, on the west side
of LaGrave between Weston and Oakes.
The 1883 Sanborn shows this original building in this location and it matches
this photo. CE
GRPL 4-18-12
1888
Sanborn
1911
Today (2010) it is on the east side of LaGrave Ave NE between Fulton St NE and Weston
St NE.
LOTS 7 & 10 of Block 2, BOSTWICK & CO S ADDITION CA
Bostwick & Co 1868
38 LaGrave Ave SE erected 1911Centennial
Old
Centennial
New
Centennial
City Assessor's 1941-
c. 1960
Land , 102 x 145 $140,000 in 1950 Centennial
The "new" house is the one standing today (2009) and is the one
I remember. It is the biggest and the main headquarters.
It is on LaGrave Avenue and Oakes Street and was right around the corner from
my father's store in the Metz Building.
So I walked past it frequently and, of course, peeked inside. I remember the
firefighters sliding down the pole. I always wanted to try but they wouldn't
let me.
The new house was built in 1910 and included the headquarters of a new fire alarm system..
At the main headquarters inside this station were photographs of very old station houses hanging on the walls. Don't know if they're still there.
I have tried to impact every source with corrections or comments so everything on this site is copyrighted. The information may be used for your project but the source must be cited.
From Article Fire Department
From Heading Architecture
From web site: MyCityofGrandRapids.info